The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CBS to investigate CEO over allegations
CBS said Friday it is investigating personal misconduct claims after the company’s chief executive, Les Moonves, was the subject of a New Yorker story detailing sexual misconduct allegations.
The media comp any said it takes all allegations of personal misconduct seriously. It said the independent directors are “investigating claims that violate the company’s clear policies in that regard.”
CBS Corp.’s stock fell 6 percent — its worst one-day loss in nearly seven years — as the reports of the miscon- duct allegations began to circulate around noon Friday, triggering investor concerns Moonves might be forced to step down.
The CBS chief has been a towering figure in televi- sion for decades, credited with turning around a net- work that had been mired for years at the bottom ratings.
The company did not mention Moonves by name but said it issued the statement in response to the New Yorker article, which was published on the magazine’s website late Friday.
It was written by Ronan Farrow, who wrote a Pulitzer Prize-winning story for the same magazine uncovering many of the allegations against Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein
The article says six women who had professional deal- ings with Moonves say he sexually harassed them between the 1980s and late 2000s.
Four of the women described forcible touching or kissing during business meetings, it says, while two said that Moonves physically intimidated them or threatened to derail their careers.
Moonves acknowledged in a statement that there were times decades ago when he may have made some women uncomfortable by making advances. But he says, “Those were mistakes, and I regret them immensely.”
He said that he never misused his position to harm or hinder anyone’s career.
The New Yorker article also said a culture of misconduct extended from Moonves to other parts of the corporation, including CBS News. It said men in that division who were accused of sexual misconduct were promoted, even as the company paid settlements to women with complaints.